Bee venom: The key to healthy, youthful skin?

Meagan Morris is an entertainment and lifestyle journalist living in New York City. In addition to SheKnows, Morris contributes to many publications including The New York Times, Yahoo! News, PopEater, NBC New York and Spinner. Follow he...

The buzz on bee venom

Would you let a bee sting you on purpose? Probably not, but apparently bee venom can have a positive impact on your skin — and a new line of skin care products are bringing those benefits to you without all the nasty stings.

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The buzzon bee venom

Would you let a bee sting you on purpose? Probably not, but apparently bee venom can have a positive impact on your skin — and a new line of skin care products are bringing those benefits to you without all the nasty stings.

Can bee venom really hold the key to supple, younger-looking skin? Rodial says yes — and the company's new line of Bee Venom skin care products aim to do just that.

We're a little skeptical about putting venom on our faces, so we asked Rodial founder Maria Hatzistefanis to give us the lowdown on why she thinks it's an ideal ingredient for skin care.

Bee venom works in synergy with plant stem cells to help visibly improve skin tone and elasticity, while Cyclopeptide-5 smoothes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around the delicate eye area. Haloxyl diminishes the appearance of dark circles for a brighter, wide-awake look.

Our biggest question: Can bee venom really do all of that?

Warning:

To be safe, Rodial recommends that those with allergies stay away from products containing bee venom.

"While the venom levels are very low, someone with severe allergies could be affected," Hatzistefanis says.

"Honey, on the other hand, is beneficial to skin," she added. "It helps heal the skin. I've used medical-grade Manuka honey in my practice to heal skin."

The Bee Venom products might be worth an (expensive) try since no bees are harmed in making them, according to Hatzistefanis.

"No bees are harmed or killed during this process!" she says. "A metal apparatus is created that the bees perceive as a threat. When the bee stings the apparatus, there is a catcher in there that collects the venom."

Tell us

Have you tried skin products formulated with bee venom? How did they work? Sound off below!